Day Three Wrap

The whispers started early on Friday at Pro Tour–Kuala Lumpur…did you see who's 5-1? The rumblings continued through the middle three drafts…. he hasn't lost a match since round 3! The wave was at full force by the end of Saturday… he's in the Top 8! Finally on Sunday, the echoes woke up completely and Hall of Famer Jon Finkel reclaimed his rightful place atop the Magic world.

Jonny Magic steamrolled the field with overall record of 16-1-1, powering through the Top 8 in typical Finkel fashion. One of the fastest minds in the history of the Pro Tour, Finkel matched that mental acuity with a blitzkrieg pace that overwhelmed his opponents. First fell Guillaume Wafo-Tapa in the quarters, then Marcio Carvalho in the semifinals, and finally Mario Pascoli in the finals en route to Finkel's third Pro Tour title (and record 12th Top 8 appearance).

When the Top 8 was announced and it contained two Hall of Famers and two Pro Tour champions from 2007, everyone in Kuala Lumpur knew they were in for something special. But when Wafo-Tapa, Nicolai Herzog, and Mike Hron all fell in the quarterfinals, the script was looking to be flipped on the established powers. Ming Xu made a valiant run as the first mainland Chinese player to make a Top 8, but he fell to Pascoli in the semifinals. Carvalho came close to his breakout Pro Tour moment but couldn't withstand Finkel, who also ended Pascoli's hopes for becoming Italy's first Pro Tour champion. In the end the master was victorious again, with the win coming nine years and ten months after Finkel's first Pro Tour victory. It was also Finkel's first Top 8 since Pro Tour-Yokohama in May of 2003.